Get Better at Grappling Through Competition

Over the years I’ve followed many a Facebook thread and forum topic that talk about who is tougher in grappling, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling. Many times these are interesting threads but most of them very one sided and written by folks that think they know more than they do about the grappling arts. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I get frustrated, but mostly they make me think.I often wonder why it is that so many guys out there blatantly pass over opportunities to get better. I wonder why in the world a grappler or BJJ fighter wouldn’t want a fully developed takedown game. I wonder why a wrestler crossing over to grappling and MMA wouldn’t want a fully developed ground game. Sometimes it just boggles my mind.

On top of that there are countless people who will only compete in X organization or Y organization. As for me I want to compete in all of them and win in all of them. At many events I’ve heard athletes complain about their loss and how they would never fight in that org again. I can only assume had they won they would decry the amazing benefits and awesome potential of that same org.

I must confess at one point I used to hate a certain grappling organization. I felt they were completely unorganized and their capacity to run an event was questionable. For years I didn’t compete there. I chose to find other events that were better organized.

Not participating because of losing was not part of that equation even though I had both won and lost in that organization. In fact my general mantra has been to compete under as many grappling flags as possible. I wanted to find the groups that would best test my abilities and allow me the chance to fight tough fighters and develop myself as an athlete.

I loved the now defunct FILA grappling organization because there were so many countries represented. I also loved the fact that I could fight against international level wrestlers, judoka, MMA and BJJ fighters all in one tournament. I also loved that as a heavyweight I finally had more guys to compete with. Being a heavyweight sometimes means there are fewer opponentsavailable to compete against, this is generally true in wrestling as well.

Usually at Grappler’s Quest and NAGA there aren’t a lot of heavyweight guys so the brackets are smaller. Although I have to approach those events with more of a ‘dual meet’ mentality I am grateful for the opportunity to compete in them although they are often not as fulfilling as having a full bracket of opponents. In the event that there are fewer opponents at my weight I compete in the Absolute division which also gives another dimension.

For me the whole point of competing is gaining more exposure to the sport of grappling and allowing oneself the opportunity to see, do andexperience more grappling. The opportunity to test oneself is the real benefit.

I struggle with the way that many schools and athletes approach competition. They hide themselves from risk and they fear losing more than they desire true development. Many instructors won’t allow their students to compete unless they know their student(s) will win. This is often solely fueled by the instructor’s fear of losing business more than the concern about whether his athlete(s) are prepared to compete. In every single grappling and BJJ tournament I can think of there are multiple age, weight and skill divisions that allow each competitor the opportunity to compete against someone of their own skill level. If an instructor is holding you back from that what is he really teaching you and more importantly what is he not teaching that he’s so afraid of you competing?

Contrast that with wrestling tournaments where an athlete can go up against a state or national champion in the first round whether they are ready or not. When I began competing at the Open or Senior division at the US Nationals at the age of 18 I didn’t have the luxury of competing against people of my own age, weight and skill. I drew Mike VanArsdale, NCAA champion, US National Team in Freestyle and former MMA fighter, the first round! That would be the BJJ equivalent of being a high level blue belt and drawing Jeff Glover for your first match!

I had absolutely no chance of winning but that wasn’t the point. The point was that I was laying the foundation for future wins by losing then. I was making that first step of confronting one of the best guys in the country and learning that there was a higher level that I needed to reach.

One of the things that I love most about grappling is thatathletes can have a chance to develop and grow on a much more conservative paceif they need or want to. I hope more athletes will take advantage of the greatopportunities to compete. There are so many now that you can start at just about any level for which you are ready.Competition after all is merely a source of feedback about your training and preparations. It shows you how you handle real time pressures and stresses. It shows you where your technical strengths and weaknesses areresiding. It shows you your strategic strengths and weaknesses.

Most athletes and coaches get so worked up over the winning and losing part of competition that they miss the forest for the trees. Take a more holistic look at your grappling experience and start giving tournaments and yourself a chance.